Customer Service

"Damn Machine!" Wendy grunted angrily as she kicked the copier she stood in front of.

Wendy was more frustrated and at her wits end rather than angry, in truth she was almost at the point of tears. The aggravating machine in question refused to work just when she needed it most. It always seemed to be the case; it would work fine when she didn't need it as much, but it acted up when she was desperate. Most the times it worked well and was the lifeline of her business. However, now was not one of those times, it was now quarter to five on Thursday afternoon and it would not make a single copy. All she wanted to do was finish this one last job and then she could go home to her two kids.

For the past five years since her husband's death she had somehow managed to run the Copy shop business that they had started together. In truth John, her late husband took care of most things and all she did was deal with the customers. After the car crash that took his life suddenly a little over five years ago, she had to quickly deal with everything at once.

Somehow Wendy managed to keep everything together and not fall to pieces under the weight of it all. Somehow she managed to learn all the things that John had taken care of while dealing with his sudden passing. Somehow, with the help of her parents she managed to continue to raise their kids, more or less on her own. Somehow Wendy managed do all of this without collapsing in a heap in a corner.

There were more than a few nights when she cried herself to sleep though, not all of those nights were behind her. Although now, more or less she had things under control, more or less her life had established a new routine. She had learned to run the business and her kids had adjusted to life after their Father's passing. She had not dated since her husband's death, mostly because she didn't have the time for a personal life.

While the business was on steady footing for the first time in a long while, she still relied on this old copier. John had cancelled the life insurance six months before his death, times were tight and they couldn't afford the expense. It would have helped her, it would have eased the pressure but she knew that at the time it was the only choice. If things kept going like they were, she might be able to trade in this old, worn out thing for something new. A few customers had commented on the quality of the copies but her regulars didn't mind a few spots here and there.

Her biggest customer had given her a rush job that needed to be delivered first thing in the morning. It had to be in their office by eight thirty the next morning or they would miss an important deadline. Wendy knew that she needed to come through for them or she might lose their business. She could not afford to lose them as a client, without them she might have to close the doors.

That thought made a tear come to her green eyes as she walked over to the phone and placed the service call. The dispatcher was pleasant and took the information and said she would try to get the tech there today. Wendy knew that the polite young woman meant well but in fifteen minutes would not care a lick.

Wendy hung up the phone and waited to hear, hoping that something could be done to get the damned machine working that night. Wendy walked over to the copier and opened up the doors, hoping to fix it herself. Once more she removed the jammed papers and looked around the machine that she hated at that moment. Once more she tried to see what was wrong with the machine, once more she stared at it, not having the slightest clue where to start.

* * * *

Stan watched the floors count down as the elevator made it's way down to the parkade. It was ten to five and he had finished his last service call and was happy that the day was over. Sure he had ten minutes left on the company clock but the nice thing about being a field tech was knocking off early now and again. His day had not been overly bad, mostly the same routine of simple problems that he had seen countless times before. Still though, he was looking forward to going home and putting the day behind him.

Fixing copiers was not glamorous nor was it lucrative but it was a job, it paid the bills and was not overly draining. The one thing he liked that was that at the end of the day he could go home without the world falling apart. Nobody had ever died because a copier didn't work, no matter how much customers protested; they could live without a copier until the next day.

Somewhere around the third floor Stan heard his cell phone make that annoying beeping sound it made when a text message arrived. Stan knew that usually meant only one thing, another service call. Stan looked at his watch and sighed, four fifty three the digital watch read. Stan thought of turning the phone off, telling the customer and his boss that he never got the message until the next day. After all, it was late enough and he knew he would not get in trouble for it, these things did happen from time to time.

With a grumble Stan knew he wouldn't do that, he couldn't do that; that just wasn't him to leave a customer hanging. At least he would call whoever it was and make arrangements to come first thing the next morning. After all he was not expected to work past five in the afternoon, usually customers respected this and did not make a fuss. There were the odd few who bellowed and demanded the impossible but these were few and far between. After ten years in the business he learned to take most everything in stride without letting anything get to him, nothing was personal.

With the push of a few buttons on his phone he reviewed the message and recognized the customer. It was a small copy shop, not that far from where he was and he remembered the woman who ran it. He had been servicing her machine for a few years now and she was a reasonable and pleasant lady. She was the understanding sort and never had made a fuss in similar situations before. Then he noticed that the call indicated that it was an emergency and his heart sunk, this time he guessed she would want it fixed today.

For a second time Stan pondered whether or not to ignore call until tomorrow. Once again his thoughts turned to his free time only mere minutes away. It was Thursday, only one more day until the weekend and another week would be put to bed. Once again Stan grumbled, knowing that he would call her, once again he would put the customer ahead of himself. When the door opened up, Stan walked out into the parkade and dialed the number.

"Hi Wendy, it's Stan here." Stan said with a pleasant tone that he always put on when he called customers no matter how he felt.

"Hi Stan. Thank Goodness you called, this machine is jamming up again and I have a job that I have to get done tonight." Wendy said as calmly as she could but her voice cracked with the frustration that she felt. "I know it's late, and I don't usually ask this but is there any way you could come and look at it tonight?" Wendy asked and try as she might she could not keep a few sobs out of the end of that sentence.

When Stan heard this he felt three things: anger, sorrow and self-pity. He was angry that she asked him to work after hours and come over right away to fix her machine. It was his time; he was off the clock and didn't have to worry about another broken copier until tomorrow. He had a life and things he wanted to do! Not that he had much to do, he was single and only planned to meet the guys for a beer. That was not the point though for it was his time to do with as he pleased!

He knew that she was in a bind or would not have asked him to come over that night. She was not the type to make a mountain out of a molehill nor was she the demanding type of customer. She realized that the machine was old and couldn't work like the newer ones, or like it once did. She didn't make unreal demands on him and accepted the machine's limitations. Wendy was the type of customer he liked, she was, understanding, pleasant and never blamed him for the machines shortcomings.

Underneath it all Stan was a good guy, he was not the type to walk away from someone in dire need. He knew that he would get nothing more than a pat on the back and an 'attaboy' from his boss if he did go. At this point it was his choice and he had no reason to help out this woman. However, Stan imagined the look on her face and knew that she was a person, a good person at that. Stan knew that she didn't deserve to suffer for his beer time.

"I know it's a lot to ask and I hate to ask this. I know you're on your way home now but I . . ." Wendy broke down into tears and for a moment as her emotions got the better of her.

"I understand." Stan said soothingly. "I'm not that far away, I'll swing by." Stan said with a smile in his voice, trying to hide his disappointment. "I'll take a look at it for you." Stan finished.

Mostly he was frustrated with himself for being sucked into doing this pointless good deed. He knew that if any of his customers would remember it and deserved the extra effort Wendy was that customer.

"Thank you Stan, I know you don't have to. Thank you so much." Wendy said as she hung up the phone and sighed a sigh of relief.

She called up her mother and informed her that she needed to stay late to take care of this one last job. Thankfully her mother understood and agreed to stay with the kids as long as was necessary. Wendy was thankful for her mother these past few years; she didn't know where she would be without her. She was always there when she needed her and never turned her away. Wendy only wished she didn't have to rely so heavily on her saint of a mother, that she could bear more of the burden herself.

In short order but not too soon for Wendy's taste Stan had arrived and walked in the front door of the copy shop. Her knight in shining armor had arrived to rescue her in a manner of speaking. While he was not exactly in armor and he was without a steed he was no less of a hero to her at that moment. He was not that hard on the eyes either Wendy noticed, as if for the first time.

She took the moment to look over the man that had come over to help her out of a jam when he didn't need to. She was so overjoyed that she might yet meet the deadline and save her hide. She couldn't help but smile warmly at him, and he returned her smile. He was taller than her, he was a little over six foot and his short blonde hair spiked itself up all over. He was clean-shaven and looked quite smart in his usual white shirt, dark pants and colourful tie. His face was thin and long and his charming smile was always a welcome sight. He did carry around a few extra pounds but he carried it well and for the most part was in good shape. Most men her age had some sort of a gut and she didn't seem to mind it that much. The overly handsome ones seemed to have the personality and morals of a snake. Stan was not that type, while he was nice, kind and professional, he was also cute. If you have to work late, at least it's nice to have something easy on the eyes to look at, Wendy thought to herself with a smirk.

"Thank you! Thank you so much Stan, you don't know how much this means to me." Wendy said with tear-filled eyes as she rushed to embrace her hero of the moment.

The hug was not the cautious, distant or light hug you might give an acquaintance but rather the tight, energetic hug you would give a close friend. Stan could feel every inch of Wendy's body as she pressed herself so tightly against him. He could clearly make out her nipples as her sizable breasts were pressed against him in a delightful, yet unexpected way.

Wendy could also feel every inch of Stan's body against her own and secretly delighted in feeling his masculine body next to hers. She could even feel a sizable lump in the front of his trousers pressing against her neglected body. It had been years since she had held a man this close, years since she had felt the rush of excitement that she was feeling now. Part of her wanted to hold him tight, to steal a rare moment to remind herself of what it felt like to be a woman. She wanted to feel a man in her arms even if it was someone she hardly knew and who cared nothing for her.

All that effort in running the business and raising her kids had come at the price of Wendy's personal life. Wendy never dated since the death of her husband; she never even let herself look at another man. She had stolen a few glances now and again with the odd man and a moment or two of harmless flirting did take place. Nothing more than that however even though there was a few times she was asked out on a date.

Always her beloved John would come to mind and she would refuse any type of romance. Somehow it felt like a betrayal of his memory of sorts to her. She knew that he was gone and she had no reason to remain faithful to her husband after his death but she just couldn't help herself. Wendy remained in this limbo of not having a husband that she needed but remaining faithful to a dead man.

This hug was quite unlike her and in all the time that she hand known Stan the most physical contact they had ever shared was the odd handshake. There had always been that professional distance between them, after all he was just there to fix the copier. After Wendy gotten a hold of herself she realized the position she was in and how inappropriate it was. Wendy was embarrassed over what she had done and let go of him as quickly as she had embraced him.

"I'm sorry Stan, I'm just so glad you came tonight when you didn't have to." Wendy blushed, not quite looking him in the eye just after she let go of his embrace.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad I could help." Stan said nonchalantly brushing it off, however his cock was still hard and throbbing from the unexpected embrace.

He was not about to complain, heck he couldn't remember when a customer ever hugged him. For that matter he couldn't remember when a woman as beautiful as Wendy had given him any such attention. He had never seen a ring on her finger or heard her talk about a man in her life. He didn't know why a woman as sweet, considerate and pretty as Wendy was single, though he had never pried into her personal life. After all he was just there to fix the copier, not gossip with the customer not matter how alluring she was. More than once he had caught himself examining her from across the room when she wasn't looking and chastised himself for doing even that.

Wendy was in her mid thirties just like Stan but she easily looked years younger. Her blonde hair was long, thick and had a natural wave to it but not puffy or overly curly. It waved its way down to the middle of her back and was more of a deep golden colour. Wendy's cute nose and puffy lips went well with her big green eyes to finish off her charming, pretty face that he couldn't say no to. Her active life kept her in shape even though she never spoke of going to a gym. She was not super thin or supermodel material but she had the flowing curves that a mature woman should possess. Wendy may have had a few extra pounds on her frame but she carried it evenly and carried it very well. Her breasts were still firm and were no less than a C cup; Stan had stolen more than a few glances at them over the years. In short Wendy was everything you hoped a mature woman would be, kind, beautiful and sexy.

"Thank you again." Wendy said with a smile and a lingering glance into his eyes.

Wendy had to look away for a moment to regain her composure. She didn't know what was going on, she had known Stan for a few years now and had a good working relationship with him. They were pleasant to each other and he came in and fixed the copier from time to time, nothing more. Not once had he asked her out or leered at her as some of her regulars did. Stan had always been a consummate professional and never had she heard a cross word come out of his mouth. Never did he blame her for wrecking the machine even when there were a few times that she had by accident. She liked him, but in a good coworker kind of way, never had she thought of him as anything more. However just then she was dangerously close to swooning over him. She shook her head and wrote it off to the tired, emotionally strained state she was in causing her to see things that weren't there.

"No matter what I do to it, it just keeps jamming up." Wendy said as she walked away from Stan and towards the copier.

Stan followed her, keeping an eye on the hypnotic sway of her nice, shapely ass and was enjoying the show too much. Wendy stopped at the copier and opened up the doors to the machine and glanced back at Stan. When she looked at him suddenly she caught where his gaze had been and blushed at him as he blushed back at her. Wendy was not angry that Stan had been checking out her rump, in fact she was silently flattered that he found her attractive.

"The worst of it is in here." Wendy said as she pointed the spot just before the paper came out of the machine.

Wendy even found herself bending over a little more, sticking out her but just that little bit more for Stan. She knew it was crazy, she knew she should not tease a man like this but something deep inside her was driving her behavior. She told herself that it was a little reward to him for helping her out of the jam she was in. She knew this was a lie, but it was the excuse she told herself at the moment, unwilling to face the truth of her throbbing pussy.

Stan tried hard to concentrate on the machine with Wendy standing there in such a pose. His eyes wandered over her tight, shapely ass and traveled further up her body. He knew he shouldn't look at her like this but he had to risk it, he had to take in her heavy breasts that hung from her slender frame. She was bent over at the waist and she looked quite beautiful, quite alluring and just a bit too close for Stan's comfort. He told himself that he was just there to fix the copier; that he couldn't look at a customer this way. He glanced up to her face to see if his tour was unnoticed or not but when his eyes caught hers she only smiled at him. Her smile faded to a smirk as she explained once more where she thought the problem was.

"No problem, I'll take care of it." Stan said confidently, trying to look like he had it all in hand.

"Good, I'll let you to it." Wendy said as she patted him on the shoulder before walking away from Stan.

For the next few minutes Wendy shuffled papers around the small copy shop and generally took care of a number of small tasks. It was a way to keep herself busy and out of Stan's hair. However, she wanted to get a hold of herself before too long. Before she did something even crazier, before she did something to scare him off. She needed that copier working tonight and for that she needed Stan to keep working. She now found herself taking more and more glances at Stan as he worked away on the copier. It was her turn it seemed to take an unknown tour of his body; turnabout was fair play she told herself. She found that she indeed liked what she saw for he was a handsome man who under other circumstances she might go for.

"Here's the problem." Stan said as he pointed to a part of the copier that was now on the counter.

"What's that?" Wendy said as she walked over and stood dangerously close to Stan.

"This is the fuser, this is what makes the toner stick to the paper." Stan started out as Wendy moved even closer to him, pressing her body against his as she stood right beside him.

"This is the part that gets real hot right?" Wendy asked looking interested as she put her arm around his waist almost unconsciously.

Stan had definitely noticed this development even though he didn't say anything at the time. He was not about to complain if the heavenly Wendy wanted to press herself this close to him. He was not about to rock the boat even if she meant nothing by it as he guessed, she was just being friendly Stan told himself. Stan stood there and explained that the machine needed a part to work right, it was a part that he didn't have with him.